By AUBRIE GEORGE
The Moorestown Sun
The Moorestown Township Public School District is slated to receive state funding for construction projects at three district schools.
Officials from the state Schools Development Authority and the Department of Education announced that $36.9 million in grants would be released to regular operating districts throughout the state.
According to a release from the SDA, more than $400,000 in projects at Moorestown High School, William Allen Middle School and South Valley Elementary School are allocated funds under the grant program.
Larry Hanover, a spokesman for the SDA, said Moorestown High School will receive funding for new gym lighting as well as upgrades to the school’s fire alarm system. According to numbers released by the SDA, the project costs a total of $352,800 and the state will grant $141,120 in funds to offset project costs.
William Allen Middle School is scheduled to receive funding for new lighting in the gymnasium. The project costs a total of $61,200 with a state contribution of $24,480.
South Valley Elementary School will receive funding for a roof replacement project, which bears a total construction cost of $625,000. The state will give the district a grant of $250,000 for the project.
According to a release from the SDA, the state grants are intended to represent at least 40 percent of eligible costs for projects in regular operating districts, which are non-Abbott districts. The projects that are awarded funds address health-and-safety issues, student overcrowding and other critical needs.
SDA Chief Executive Officer Marc Larkins said the funding would “…allow districts to perform necessary improvements to the learning environments for our children and create much-needed jobs during this difficult economic period.”
Hanover said districts must apply to receive funding from regular operating district grants and the SDA is responsible for dispersing the funding.
The SDA works with the DOE, which is responsible for selecting school projects that will receive the funding.
Funding for the grant program was made possible from the sale of $500 million in new bonds by the state Economic Development Authority, an initiative Gov. Chris Christie announced in April.
The state sold taxable Build America Bonds for the school construction program, receiving a federal subsidy equal to 35 percent of interest payments, according to a release from the state.
According to the release, regular operating district grants are being disbursed for 142 facilities projects in 111 schools in 59 districts across the state.
